1856.] Origin and progress of writing down historical facts. 325 



night and they put another word of the same measure in its place, 

 and people repeat the wrong reading. A book does not forget, nor 

 does it substitute one word for another. 



89. ^jpj JUck — ixU ££>j Jli <uap ^j iS ^jc UJtXs* [j^>j ] JL* 



Miisa b. 'Oqbah [d. in 141, arid left a work on the biography of the 

 prophet, see p. 218 supra] relates, Iu the house of (the name is not 

 legible,) the writings (autographies) of Ibn 'Abbas [a companion 

 of the prophet, d. in 68] were preserved which would have formed 

 a camel's load (equal to about six hundred weights). Whenever 

 'Alyy b. 'Abd Allah [d. in 113] a grandson of Iba 'Abbas wanted 

 a book, he wrote to him requesting him to send him such and such a 

 volume, and he copied it and sent it to him. 



90. Ibn Dab [on whom see Ibn Qotaybah, p. 269] was frequently 

 seen carrying a book, some one said to him that it was below his 

 dignity, but he was of a quite different opinion. 



91. u j J&lj -k^-sr 1 ! &tf ^XfLJf ^fi ^jaLkl c^jIj Lo *jxj\ Jli 

 yUT %&j ^ gij |i| &\£ Aili ia^lsr'i Loli ^IftJi ^Usr^l <^j dU*+-"t j oLJILL 

 ^ ^ v Uxl| d#xt J£s JJJ\ U\j &\f^US <^| S^L| ^| *Jj\ ^/o *|y> 

 ^^^ <ui jiaXJ V UX/| ^^Lf ^l-oj j| JjajJ \}SyJ\ ^j ^jj (*U (ili 

 **k <^l ^1 ' &>*; <y »J^ Jj^o ji-aJ ^' ^ c5«^l ^4^1 fc^ t5^ 



"djJ^Jaio v UoJ v^l V^r! jl *fc? 

 Mobarred said, The only three meu I have seen who were really 

 devoting themselves to sciences were Ja&itz, Fat& b. Khaqan and 

 the Qadhiy Isma'yl b. IsMq. Jafatz used to read every book, he 

 could get hold of from one end to the other whatever its contents 

 might be. Fat& used to carry a book in his boot (being a Turk, he 

 evidently wore the wide Tatar-boots). Whenever he left the pre- 

 sence of the Khalif to say his prayers or for any other business, he 

 took out his book aud read ou his way to his destination and on his 

 way back again, until he again took his place in the presence of the 

 Khalif. And whenever I paid a visit to Isma'yl I found him reading 

 in a book or seeking a book iu his library to cousult it. 



92. Ibn 'Abbas Daghuly [d. 325] said, that he always had the 

 following four volumes ol^^ with him : The book of Mozany [d 



